Woman Suspected of Poisoning Family Members with Christmas Cake Found Dead in Brazilian Prison

brazil - Deise Moura dos Anjos, accused of killing three family members with poisoned cake, found dead in her cell in Brazil.

Woman Accused of Murder Found Dead

A woman suspected of murdering three family members with a poisoned Christmas cake was found dead in her prison cell in Brazil. Deise Moura dos Anjos was discovered lifeless during a morning check in a women's state prison in the city of Guaíba, Rio Grande do Sul.

Authorities called emergency services and attempted to resuscitate her, but she was pronounced dead upon their arrival. The cause of death and circumstances are still under investigation by the police and the General Institute of Expertise.

Deise was in custody for allegedly poisoning three of her own family members on Christmas Eve, with three others hospitalized. Autopsy revealed high levels of arsenic in the deceased women's bodies, 2,700 times above the permissible limit. Arsenic was also found in the cake served on Christmas Eve.

One of the victims was her mother-in-law, Zeli dos Anjos, who had baked the cake. Police stated that the woman had been estranged from her family for over twenty years. Deise was arrested in early January on charges of triple murder and attempted murder. Her husband, Diego, had filed for divorce the day before her death.